5.0 swap, auto to manual

[Justa302]

I have a 2001 reg cab with a 96 expo drivetrain, I know I have to get a tuner to keep my ecu, but what other trans other than a t-5 can I use? Right now it still has the stock 4cyl driveshaft

Sent from my crappy iPhone

 

[Teddyzee]

Looks good, tell us more! (motor mounts, headers, etc.)
Looking to keep the Explorer ECU, I presume?
For manual trans, you can use any of the fancy Mustang upgrades (Tremec, etc) or the F150 trans', but they would not likely feel as fun as a T5

 

[JoshT]

Really you can use any manual trans that came behind the 302, but why yould you want to run an older 3 or 4 speed trans. The T5 in the mustang is a popular swap. The M5OD from the F-150 works and the gearing is great for a work truck or 4x4, but the gearing in the T5 is more fun for a street truck. The Tremec 3650 5 speed came behind the 4.6 in the Cobra R Mustangs, IIRC it would fit with changing the bell housing.

In aftermarket offerings the most popular I believe are the Tremec TKO transmissions. One other transmission that is gaining ground is the Tremec T56 6 -speed. It can be adapted to the 5.0L and I know of at least one V8 Ranger that has had this transmission. I'm halfway considering this for a future transmission for my V8 swap, just not sure what to do with the extra gear.

 

[Justa302]

I've looked around for a shift linkage kit for the t-5 but could not find one, are most just dealing with the shifter that far back? the swap is all stock but a aftermarket fuel pump and braided lines, factory everything with a/c, I picked it up for $3,000. My trans is throwing a low pressure code and making the o/d light flash at times


Sent from my crappy iPhone

 

[Riq21]

If it is all about street fun and daily driving, I would recommend the T5 also. There are a bunch of them out there for sale so finding one is not a problem. The 4 cylinder drive shaft will fit into the tail-shaft of a T5. Length may need slight adjustment-I removed about 1 inch total. Lot's of people on here have just worked with standard shifter location on the T5. I opted for the S10 tail-shaft conversion as I wanted it to come out of my console in a specific location.

S10 tail-shafts are also plentiful and the swap is pretty much a no brainer. Warning here though as the shifter for the mustangd T5 and the S10 is different and will not interchange. Know what you are going to do before buying a shifter.

 

[Justa302]

I have two t-5 right now out of the 94+ mustangs ones in my bmw, are you using cable or hydraulic?



Sent from my crappy iPhone

 

[Riq21]

Using hydraulic setup. Very simple and efficient to use.

 

[Justa302]

Are you useing the wilwood pull kit? I have that in the car and there is not enough throw on it


Sent from my crappy iPhone

 

[Riq21]

no, I am using a setup that Teddyzee tured me on to about 6 months ago. Uses an up-sized clutch master to braided cable to slave cylinder mounted on the bellhousing. You have to make your own mounting bracket but not hard to do.

this was my first generation bracket. I did another and moved the slave cylinder back farther in order to get more rod exposed for adjustment. Had to cut several lengths of all-thread rod in order to find the perfect size to make it all work and have some adjustability. Also need to run the rod through the inner hole on the throwout arm in order to gain as much leverage as possible to make it all work.

 

[Justa302]

That looks simple enough! Thanks for the info


Sent from my crappy iPhone

 

[Thed]

I actually just bought the M5OD-R2. I have been hearing too many horror stories about the T-5 and they are just plan pricey. It may not be as fun, but the Mazda unit will be more durable, have a better fit, and is cheaper to rebuild than most other transmissions. Aside from speed-shifting and the higher weight the M5OD-R2 is the better transmission.

BTW the vendor I bought mine from has two more... Here's the link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=261086486568#ht_500wt_922

$325 FTW!!!!!

 

[allpau2thou]

I would love to know who has a T-56 in a 302 ranger! And what was involved.

 

[Mac]

I would love to know who has a T-56 in a 302 ranger! And what was involved.

Tominator is the one who has the T-56 in his. He is one that does have enough power to fully use the double overdrive with the .5 ratio. If you don't have the power to pull a .5/1 rear end and just standard .62 top ratio, you're wasting your time and money for the swap. A lot of them really aren't thata strong either.
http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/member.php?u=584
Dave